Syrian man died trying to cross Channel to UK on leaky dinghy, say French authorities | Immigration and asylum

A young Syrian man died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, the French authorities said.

It is the first reported death at sea of a migrant seeking to travel to Britain from France so far this year.

More than 30 people were rescued after a boat got into difficulty in the Channel overnight on Friday, the French coastguard said.

French media reported that the man who died was Syrian and was crushed by other people while on a leaky dinghy.

A helicopter and boats were deployed to rescue the 35 people, including about 15 who were in the water.

“Last night, 30 migrants tried to get into the water on the beach at Sangatte,” on the northern coast of France, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture told Agence-France Presse.

The prefecture said “a few minutes later” the group disembarked from the leaking dinghy. On the floor of the boat, a Syrian man in his 20s was found, the prefecture said, adding that he had suffered cardiac arrest.

He had “probably” been crushed to death, officials said.

“This was the first death at sea in 2025,” the prefecture said.

According to the prefecture, 77 people died trying to reach Britain in flimsy inflatable boats last year, making it the deadliest year for migrants who are taking ever greater risks to evade Britain’s border control.

Associations providing help to migrants recorded 89 fatalities last year. The count includes migrants who died at sea and on the coast of northern France.

According to the prefecture, two people have been arrested as part of an investigation opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office.

Due to unfavourable weather conditions, only 61 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats between 1 and 10 January, according to the British authorities.

More than 36,800 people were detected crossing the Channel last year, a 25% increase on 2023 when 29,437 arrived, according to provisional figures from the interior ministry.

According to Downing Street, illegal migration was one of the issues discussed by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Keir Starmer last Thursday.

More than 70 organisations from across France were due to protest on Saturday in Calais about UK policies to try to stop people crossing the Channel.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We can confirm there has been a tragic incident involving a small boat on the French coast which has resulted in the loss of one life. Our thoughts are with those affected.

“This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent them.

“These criminals only care about profit, not the lives they put at risk, which is why they are cramming ever-greater numbers of people on to increasingly flimsy and dangerous boats.”